NYWIFT Blog

#Muse40for40: Sally Field (1994)

Sally Field is an actor and director who has received two Academy Awards among many other accolades. She began her career in television in the series Gidget in the mid 60’s.

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#Muse40for40: Ellen Burstyn (2018)

Actor Ellen Burstyn is known for her work in a number of movies and television shows including Requiem for a Dream, The Exorcist, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, The Last Picture Show, Law & Order: SVU, Political Animals, Resurrection, The Age of Adaline, House of Cards and many others.

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#Muse40for40: Ida Lupino (1998)

Ida Lupino was an English-born American film and television actress, director, and screenwriter who first gained fame through her portrayals of strong, worldly-wise characters and went on to become one of the first women to direct films in Hollywood

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#Muse40for40: Judith Light (2017)

A two-time Tony Award winning actress and producer, Judith Light has starred in highly successful television shows including Amazon Prime's Golden Globe winning series Transparent, One Life to Live, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Ugly Betty, Who’s The Boss? and on Broadway in Lombardi, Other Desert Cities, The Assembled Parties, Wit, and more.

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#Muse40for40: Abigail Disney (2014)

Abigail E. Disney is an American documentary filmmaker, philanthropist, and social activist. She produced the documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell, and is the executive producer, writer, and director of The Armor of Light, which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary.

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#Muse40for40: Gabourey Sidibe (2015)

Gabourey Sidibe is an Academy and Golden Globe Award-nominated actress recognized for her roles in the films Precious, Gravy, Life Partners and White Bird in a Blizzard.

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#Muse40for40: Sarah Barnett (2015)

When we honored Sarah Barnett with a Muse Award in 2015 she was the President and General Manager of BBC America; under her leadership the network enjoyed awards recognition and a ratings surge for popular programs including Orphan Black, Doctor Who, and Killing Eve.

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#Muse40for40: Ruby Dee (1997)

Actor and activist Ruby Dee and her husband Ossie Davis fought for civil rights from Washington, DC to Hollywood. In 1965, Dee starred in King Lear and The Taming of the Shrew, becoming the first black woman to appear in major roles at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, CT.

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#Muse40for40: Patricia Clarkson (2015)

Patricia Clarkson is an Emmy Award-winning actress for her role as Sarah O'Connor in HBO’s Six Feet Under. She is also an Oscar, Academy Award, Tony, Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award nominee for her work in Pieces of April, The Elephant Man and High Art.

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Cynthia’s Picks: Muse Honorees, Member News, Women Directors

Muse Honorees: NYWIFT is beyond thrilled to announce the honorees for this year’s 40th Anniversary NYWIFT Muse Awards on December 10th! Please join us in celebrating actor Ann Dowd, singer and executive Gloria Estefan, Vimeo CEO Anjali Sud, director Kasi Lemmons, writer/creator Shoshannah Stern, and Tribeca Enterprises CEO Jane Rosenthal, a past Muse honoree who...

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#Muse40for40: Julie Dash (2017)

Director Julie Dash has written and directed five feature length narrative films including Love Song, Funny Valentines, Incognito, The Rosa Parks Story, Daughters of the Dust, as well as part of the Subway Stories: Tales From the Underground HBO anthology feature; television commercials and documentary films.

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#Muse40for40: Amy Emmerich (2017)

Amy Emmerich, Chief Content Officer, Refinery29, launched Refinery29’s video business, which includes the critically acclaimed series Strangers, the Webby-award winning mini-series The Skinny as well as their Shatterbox Anthology film series, which was created to cultivate and spotlight the voices of women directors, telling stories outside the narrow lens of this overwhelmingly male-dominated industry.

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#Muse40for40: Whoopi Goldberg (2003)

Whoopi Goldberg is a distinguished artist, humanitarian, and very funny person. Like fellow Muse Honoree Rita Moreno (’96), Goldberg is one of only 12 performers to win all four major artistic awards: the Oscar, the Emmy, the Grammy and the Tony, a combination commonly known as The EGOT. She is currently a host of the talk show The View.

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#Muse40for40: Tina Fey (2005)

In 1999, Tina Fey became the first head writer on Saturday Night Live. She created and starred in the Emmy award-winning comedy 30 Rock. Her portrayal of Sarah Palin during the 2008 election was an instant classic.

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What’s in Your Toolkit: Kathryn O’Kane

"In this increasingly digital age, I still really like to work on paper," says television director and producer Kathryn O'Kane. Learn what else is in Kathryn's toolkit!

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#Muse40for40: Anjelica Huston (1999)

Anjelica Huston is an Academy-Award winning actress and daughter of Oscar-winning director, screenwriter and actor John Huston. The Huston family is the first family to have three generations of Oscar winners, including her grandfather Walter Huston

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#Muse40for40: Charlayne Hunter-Gault (1993)

Journalist and author Charlayne Hunter-Gault began her career as a reporter to The New Yorker, where she still contributes, and was the Harlem bureau chief for The New York Times. She worked for 20 years with PBS NewsHour where she was a national and international correspondent as well as a substitute anchor.

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“Ask for Jane” Producer and Star Cait Cortelyou Brings Women’s History to Life on Screen

NYWIFT member Cait Cortelyou has performed on stage or film since childhood but makes a breakthrough debut as producer (and star) of Ask for Jane, which screens at the NYWIFT Member Screening Series on November 19th. Cait sat down with us to discuss how a slice of women's history inspired her to make her producing debut, and what opportunities she sees for women working in the industry today.

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